Pope Francis signed earlier today the canonization decrees (by equipollent canonization) of three major figures of the greatest religious enterprise in history, the (old-style) evangelization of the Americas:
- two whose lives were entirely given over to the evangelization of Canada (Québec):
François de Montmorency-Laval, of the illustrious house of Montmorency, first Bishop of Québec and founder of the renowned Séminaire de Québec;
Marie de l'Incarnation (Guyart), born in Tours, founder of the Ursuline convent of Québec.
- one whose life was entirely given over to the evangelization of Brazil:
José de Anchieta, S.J., Spaniard (the Canarian son of a Basque family), called the "Apostle of Brazil" and founder, along with Portuguese Fr. Manuel da Nobrega, S.J., of several cities, including Sao Paulo.
